Glasgow aims to be UK’s first net-zero city

In collaboration with Scottish Power, Glasgow will set measures in place to become the first net-zero city.

16 May 2019

Rachel Cooper

In collaboration with Scottish Power, Glasgow will set measures in place to become the first net-zero city.

To align with Scotland’s 2045 target, Glasgow has committed to being the UK’s first net-zero city.

Glasgow has already established the first Ultra-Low Emission Zone, outside of London. Now, attention will turn to other parts of Glasgow’s economy that can be decarbonised such as transport and heating, as well as continued investment in the electricity grid to support the increasingly low carbon city.

Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council leader, said: “We simply have to act now and the Glasgow City Government will develop those partnerships necessary to get to where we simply have to be. We need to be a Net Zero city. And we need to be the UK’s first Net Zero city.”

Last week, the Committee on Climate Change released a report which called for the UK to be net-zero by 2050 and Scotland to be net zero by 2045.

The report says the new net-zero target will not be credible without policy being ramped up significantly. They say that while some targets are too ambitious, some are proceeding too slowly.

Scottish Power say that across Britain as a whole, renewable energy capacity must quadruple and electricity generation double to meet Net Zero target. They say there must also be a “fundamental rethink” required on the UK’s approach to onshore wind development.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at ScottishPower, said: "Scotland has rightly put itself at the top of the race to become Net Zero quicker than other places round the world. To succeed, our biggest city has to be the most ambitious and progressive in removing carbon emissions.”

Edinburgh is also hoping to be in the race to be the first net-zero city. Keith Anderson said: “It is our hope that this declaration kick starts a race to zero with other ambitious cities, like Edinburgh, because then we will all be winners. The prize is the future of our country and our planet."